Paris, France

Bonjour! I am excited to write about my time in Paris because there was so much that I got to see and experience.  I was excited to have my dad and his girlfriend join me in my travels, and we sure did have a great time together.

In this post I want to share with you what it was like to be a Parisian for a week...where I stayed...the places I explored...the museums I visited...the food I ate and the fun things I did.

First let's get ourselves situated. Paris is divided into twenty different arrondissements, which are little districts arranged in a clockwise spiral.  In the middle of the spiral is the Seine River, and to the north is the right bank, and to the south is the left bank. 

There are so many ways to conviently explore Paris.  Some people like to get the Paris Pass, which comes with a metro ticket, museum tickets and tours, but we didn't choose this route.  We bought a five day metro pass, and got our museum tickets when we decided to go museum.  The Metro is very easy to navigate, even for someone like me who has no sense of direction. 

My home base for the week was located in the fourth arrondissement in an apartment rented through OneFineStay.  The location was truly perfect, between the right and left bank on the Ile Saint-Louis.  The apartment faced the Seine River and OneFineStay provided an iPhone to use (great feature of the company) to make local calls, and it was loaded up with great apps to help find local hotspots.

The area were we stayed is considered the latin quarter and the locals refer to it as 'le quartier'.  The area is full of academic halls, cafes, open air markets, and winding streets.  This area was home to some of the most important movements (La Nouvelle Vague) and residents (Ernest Hemingway). 

The view from the bridge outside our apartment was pretty spectacular 

Across the bridge we found a local cooking school called La Cuisine Paris and decided to take a class to become baguette experts. The traditional baguette of France has only four ingredients: yeast, water, salt and flour. An interesting fact we learned was that by law, in order to be called a boulangerie (where they sell baguettes), you have to make your baguettes on premises. The class was very fun and we left the class with full stomachs of parisianiennes (mini baguettes), fougasses (artisanal breads filled with cheeses, spices and vegetables) and rolls.

One of the great sites in the Latin Quarter is Notre Dame, and we could hear the bells ringing from our apartment.

I learned that right outside Notre Dame is the 'Paris Point Zero', which is considered the official center of Paris, and marks the exact spot from which all distances throughout France are measured.

Paris Kilometer Zero- A real thing!

One of my favorite areas that we spent lots of time in was the Marais district.  We would get off the Metro at Hotel De Ville or Saint Sébastian-Froissart and walk into the Marias.  The Marais is packed with croocked streets alive with bars, restaurants, shops, fashionable art galleries and museums.  It reminded me of the West Village in Manhattan. 

The streets were lined with great little boutique shops

A great museums in the Marais district is the Picasso Museum. The museum is in a historic town mansion and is brightly lit and modern. There were so many cool paintings and pieces of art to look at that Picasso made, he must have had a very large studio. 

A painters studio must be his laboratory- Pablo Picasso

Interpretations of our favorite pieces

In the Marais district you will find a great lunch at Cafe Charlot. Cafe Charlot is a great Parisian bistro in a retro atmosphere with very charming allure...Not to mention, they made an AMAZING cheese burger.

We ate an amazing dinner at L'Ami Louis which is a very cozy restaurant with cramped tables.  At the end of the dining room is a tiny kitchen where the most amazing food comes out of.  I recommend ordering the foie gras, french fries, and the chicken (ohhh my so good!).  

Not far from the Marais is the Jewish quarter (closest metro St. Paul) on rue des Rosiers. The Jewish quarter was one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe before WWII, and today it is packed with delis, bakeries, and Jewish restaurants.  It's best to go any day but Saturday since it is the Jewish Sabbath. 

People practicing Jewish ritual of laying tefillin in the streets

The Jewish pasteries were mouth watering and delicious.  Two great patisseries are right in the heart of the Jewish district: Sacha Finkelsztajn and Boulangerie Murciano.

I love poppyseed anything and this pastry was amazing! The challah was also so great and fresh!

Tuileries gardens is another beautiful place in Paris you can meander through and it is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon.  The gardens separate the Louvre Museum from the Palace de la Concorde and is a great place to take a Parisian stroll.

Beautifully manicured grass

I named her...Woman Falling Out of the Shower

Close to the Tuileries Garden is an AMAZING pastry shop called Angelina. We tried the most wonderful white chocolate raspberry dessert and a delicious mini chocolate gnash cake. 

At the end of the tuileries is the Louvre museum (the old palace of the kings), and a must go-to destination while in Paris. We took a private tour by an engaging guide named Raphaelle from Visits Particulieres.  Raphaelle is a minister of culture with a plethora of interesting knowledge.  

When they were excavating the area outside the Louvre for I.M. Peis glass pyramid they found remains of when the Louvre was a fortress.  The project was initially supposed to take two years, but because of all the artifacts they found it ended up taking nine! 

We got to see the walls of the fortress in the underground exhibit at the Louvre 

You can spend weeks in the Louvre studying all of the exhibits.  We covered the main highlights and saw works by David, Botticelli, Michael Angelo and Leonardo de Vinci. 

We saw many great sculptures

The inventor of the "selfie"

 The walls and ceilings of the Louvre is art within itself!

One of the most impressive parts of the Louvre that we saw were the Napoleon III apartments.  It's hard to think of this area as an "apartment" since the rooms are very luxe and gilded from top to bottom with ornate detail. The rooms are filled with rich colors paired in contrast-like deep green paired with a bright pink-or one of my favorite combinations: CARDINAL and GOLD!  

Can you imagine dining here?

Continuing on the right bank at the Metro exit of George V you find one of Paris' most distinct landmarks-the Arc de Triomphe. It is dedicated to the glory of the French army and honors important battles, generals and victories in France's military history.

One of my favorite eateries in Paris is right near the arc on the Champs Élysées, called Leon de Bruxelles, and it's a must to pop-in for muscles and french fries. 

So delicious-mucles in a white wine and garlic sauce

A fun evening activity to do is to take a boat ride down the Seine River.  The Bateaux-Mouche is a great way to get a feel for the city without walking around. Although it is a bit touristy, there is nothing like seeing Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower lit up while on the water. 

The English guided audio on the boat was helpful!

On the other side of the Seine River, is the Musse d'Orsay.  The D'Orsay was originally a train station when Paris hosted a world market, and you can get a feel for this with its interior architecture.

It is definitely a museum I would recommend visiting if you are interested in impressionist work and would like to see masterpieces from artists such as: Monet, Manet, Degas, and Van Gough.  Raphaelle led another great tour around the museum for us, and we loved all of her commintary.

Having fun with Raphaelle at the D'Orsay

Continuing on the left bank we visited the Eiffel Tower. Although we didn't go to the top, it sure looked tall from the ground!

If you've worked up an appetite a great place to grab lunch and walk around is Saint Germain des Prés.  You can find plenty of great cafes to enjoy a meal, a drink, or to just people watch.  One of the most famous cafes in this neighborhood that we went to is Les Deux Magot-and it was frequented by Hemingway, Picasso, and Dali. 

...I believe you can't finish off a lunch without a dessert, not when in Paris.  We went to Richart to have a fresh macaron to top of our afternoon.

Every flavor was delicious...I had to get more than one

In the St. Germain neighborhood there a great book store called Shakespeare & Co.  You can definitely get lost perusing the shelves of the store, it is bursting with interesting reads in both English and French. 

I had such a wonderful time in the city of Paris.  There was so much to see and do, and I am so lucky that I got to explore with family. I can't wait to come back and visit again. Audrey Hepburn is right when she says 'Paris is always a good idea'.